Deadly Amoeba in Lousiana Town's Water Supply Possibly a Result of Hurricane Katrina

The discovery of a deadly parasite in the water supply of a New Orleans suburb could be yet one more sign Hurricane Katrina still haunts Louisiana natives some eight years later.

The amoeba, known as Naegleria fowleri, was first discovered in tissue of a four-year-old boy believed to have become infected while playing on a Slip 'n Slide at his home in St. Bernard Parish.

Tests that followed revealed the parasite had successfully invaded four locations in the town's water system, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) announced Sept. 12.

Naegleria fowleri thrive in warm, stagnant freshwater, which is why researchers believe its presence in the town's water may be the result of the population bust following Hurricane Katrina.

According to the US Census Bureau, St. Bernard Parish was home to approximately 67,000 before the storm hit and just 15,000 after.

One unforeseen result, according to health officials, is a decrease in water demand, which has left water sitting in pipe longer. As this happens, the chlorine injected into the water to protect is allowed to dissipate.

"One of the questions was how the amoebas could have entered the system," John Causey, the chief engineer at DHH, told ABCNews.com. "There's quite a few ways. We just didn't think we should ignore the fact the whole system had about 15 feet of water on it."

Causey further explained to CNN that, "the more quickly [the water] is used up, the more the water system is able to process a good chlorine system."

While the DHH has made it clear that drinking the water is harmless, it has issued a number of precautions designed to protect locals from the parasite that can infect a person when allowed to travel up the nasal cavity and into the brain.

Among other things, the health department urges the public to keep their head above the water whether bathing or in a pool and to run bath and shower taps as well as hoses for five minutes before use in order to flush out the pipes.

Meanwhile, officials have begun pumping extra chlorine through the water system.